Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area

Name: Fort Hancock
Address: Gateway National Recreation Area, Gateway National Recreation Area, 07732, United States
Telephone: (732) 872-5970

#1 among attractions in Gateway National Recreation Area

Top attraction, Historical place, Museum, Military museum

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Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area

Facts and practical information

Fort Hancock is a former United States Army fort at Sandy Hook in Middletown Township New Jersey. The coastal artillery base defended the Atlantic coast and the entrance to New York Harbor, with its first gun batteries operational in 1896. The fort served from then until 1950 as part of the Harbor Defenses of New York and predecessor organizations. Between 1874 and 1919, the adjacent US Army Sandy Hook Proving Ground was operated in conjunction with Fort Hancock. It is now part of Fort Hancock Memorial Park. It was preceded by the Fort at Sandy Hook, built 1857–1867 and demolished beginning in 1885. ()

Alternative names: Coordinates: 40°27'50"N, 74°0'10"W

Address

Gateway National Recreation AreaGateway National Recreation Area 07732 United States

Contact

(732) 872-5970

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Day trips

Fort Hancock – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Henry Hudson Trail, Sandy Hook Light, Navesink Twin Lights, Battery Gunnison.

6 miSW
Cycling, Bike path
Henry Hudson Trail, Keansburg
154 min walk • The Henry Hudson Trail is a rail trail in Western and Northern Monmouth County, New Jersey. The trail is named for Henry Hudson, who explored the harbor at Atlantic Highlands and the Raritan Bayshore coastline in the early 1600s. The trail is not near the Hudson River.
~830 ftS
Historical place, Lighthouse, Vernacular architecture
Sandy Hook Light, Gateway National Recreation Area
5 min walk • The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by Isaac Conro.
4.7 miS
Lighthouse, Vernacular architecture
Navesink Twin Lights, Highlands
121 min walk • The Navesink Twin Lights is a non-operational lighthouse and museum located in Highlands, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, the entrance to the New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean.
0.5 miSE
Forts and castles
Battery Gunnison, Sandy Hook
13 min walk • Battery John Gunnison, known as Battery New Peck following its modernization in 1943, is a six-inch US Army coast artillery gun emplacement located at Fort Hancock in New Jersey.
4.8 miS
Bridge
Highlands–Sea Bright Bridge, Highlands
124 min walk • The Highlands-Sea Bright Bridge is a bridge connecting Highlands, New Jersey in the west to Sea Bright, New Jersey in the east, across the Shrewsbury River. The eastern terminus is at the entrance to Sandy Hook. The span is part of Route 36.
3.9 miS
Outdoor activities, View point, Park
Mount Mitchill, Atlantic Highlands
100 min walk • Mount Mitchill in Atlantic Highlands, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, at 266 feet, is the highest headland of the United States east coast south of Maine.
5.2 miS
Nature and wildlife, Park
Hartshorne Woods Park, Highlands
133 min walk • Hartshorne Woods Park is a 736-acre county park located in Northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, in New Jersey's Bayshore Region. The park has 16 miles of trails, several old military bunkers and a small beach with a fishing pier. It is roughly bordered to the north and west by Navesink Ave and Route 36.
1.9 miS
Museum, Military museum
Battery Kingman, Sandy Hook
48 min walk • Battery Kingman is an artillery emplacement at Fort Hancock, New Jersey. The Battery was named after Dan Christie Kingman an officer in the United States Army who served as Chief of Engineers from 1913 to 1916.
7.1 miSW
Monuments and statues
Evil Clown of Middletown, Middletown
182 min walk • The Evil Clown of Middletown is a large outdoor sign in Middletown Township, New Jersey. Originally built by and for Food Circus grocery store, which later became known as the regional supermarket Foodtown, it is now a roadside display and de facto advertising sign for a nearby Spirits Liquors.
4.6 miS
Church
All Saint's Memorial Church, Sandy Hook
119 min walk • All Saints' Memorial Church is a small stone Gothic-style Episcopal church built in 1864 by Richard Upjohn in Navesink, New Jersey. A National Historic Landmark, the church complex, which includes the rectory, stable, and carriage house, is a well-preserved example of the late work of Upjohn.
4.8 miS
Nature, Natural attraction, Mountain
Navesink Highlands, Atlantic Highlands
122 min walk • The Navesink Highlands, sometimes referred to as the Highlands of Navesink and also known as the Atlantic Highlands, are a range of low hills and upland areas located along the United States Atlantic coast in New Jersey.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which popular attractions are close to Fort Hancock?

Nearby attractions include Sandy Hook Light, Gateway National Recreation Area (5 min walk), Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook (12 min walk), Battery Gunnison, Sandy Hook (13 min walk).